Always loyal and trusting, except when going to the vet!
I’m talking about my four-footed friend, not a dog who was just a pet.
I think how lucky I am to have had him all these years,
Then quickly grab a Kleenex to wipe away the tears.

Seventeen years, not such a long time to those on two instead of four.
But with four on the ground, long ears and a tail, seventeen years is a lifetime and More!
I’ll remember the good times, there’s really no choice.
He’ll always be in my heart but I’ll still miss the noise
Of his little black nails ticky-tacking on the floor
And the jingle of his tags as he came through the door.

Good-bye little friend, I’ll miss you so much
But time is a healer and sometimes a crutch.
It’ll help me get through the lost kisses and walks,
The warm snuggly body, the philosophical talks.

I’ll always remember the day you were found
Seventeen years ago, no owner around.
I set posters on fences and put ads in the Bee
But no one came forward, where could they be?
Then three weeks later, in came a call
Asking about the puppy, black and white and all.
I cried as I called back that person, afraid they might actually be
The people who lost you, before you came to me.
They were looking for a Big Dog, not little old you
So after the call all the posters came down and the flyers too!

You’d found a home, it just happened to be mine
I was so happy to call the Bee and remove the ad this time.
How lucky I was to find you by that fence,
Sitting so quietly, so shy and so tense,
Waiting, I assumed, for your owner to take you home.
But no one came or called on the phone
In answer to the ads in the paper or the flyers on the fence posts.
Now it was time to name you since we were going to be your family, your folks.

A small black and white pup, a cartoon creature came to mind,
So Mr. Peabody it was for the rest of the time.
Except, as we grew to know you, you needed a nickname,
Something strong and dignified, His Nibs it became.
You were always thrilled to see me, jumping up and down,
Ears flopping, tail wagging, dashing all around,
But your sister, my daughter, didn’t always get the same attention
Sometimes you felt it necessary to straighten her up, not to mention
The occasional nips and growls
You shared with not only her but her friends as well.
Nothing too serious or especially out-of-line
Just an attention getter for them and how to be better next time.

Thank you again for wonderful years!
I’ll remember them always, with a smile and a tear.

Susan Hickerson lives in Modesto, Calif., in a small house with a BIG doggie door and a BIG fenced yard. Like Mr. Peabody, all the animals in her home were either strays, abused or abandoned and are now all neutered, vaccinated, well cared for and deeply loved. She is currently employed full-time but plans to retire in a couple of years and then devote her extra hours to volunteering at a nonprofit animal rescue.